Eight hours after you quit smoking, your blood has begun to recover from the effects of smoking. The levels of both carbon monoxide and oxygen in your bloodstream return to normal.

Within 24 hours, your chance of a heart attack has already decreased as your system repairs itself.

About 48 hours after you quit smoking, nerve endings deadened by the habit have begun to regenerate and your sense of taste and smell has already improved.

A few weeks after you quit smoking, your circulation has improved and your lungs have begun to function better. Walking and exercising become much easier.

Within the first few months, your phlegm production has decreased and you won't find yourself coughing or wheezing as much.

Long-Term Benefits of Quitting Smoking

The benefits of your decision to quit smoking continue long after the immediate impact.

You might not feel these benefits the way you felt the quick improvement in your lung function and overall health, but you'll still enjoy them:

1 year: Your excess risk of suffering coronary heart disease has decreased to half the risk of a continuing smoker.

5 years: Your risk of having a stroke has decreased compared to continuing smokers, and will continue to decrease over time.

10 years: A decade after you quit smoking, your risk of lung cancer is now half that of people who keep smoking. You've also experienced a decrease in your risk of ulcers and other cancers, including cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, pancreas, kidneys, and bladder.

15 years: Your risk of coronary heart disease is now comparable to that of people who never smoked a single cigarette. Your risk of dying also is nearly back to the same level as that of non-smokers.

Other Benefits of Not Smoking

Nicotine withdrawal can lead to some short-term emotional costs when you choose to quit smoking.

You are likely to feel anger, irritation, and depression as you struggle with your dependence on tobacco.

But as the days go by, you will also feel a surge of self-respect as you master your addiction, and over time that will translate into a greater sense of self-esteem.